Precious Water!

    I don't know if any of you ever experienced the old-fashioned hand pump like my grandmother had.  I can barely remember as a child, watching from her kitchen window, as she carried an old metal bucket out to the yard and worked the pump handle until her bucket was filled.  As I got a little older she would let me try to pump, but it was difficult; each downward stroke a struggle for my young back and arms.  Then she got indoor plumbing, and the old, antique pump stood as a reminder of days gone by.      

      But as we're beginning to grasp, the tried-and-true implements of yesteryear may soon be our salvation.  I reported to you a week or so ago, about the Simple Pump, today's version of that reliable hand pump.  And I'm thrilled to tell you that we installed one this last weekend.  It was a group project; like-minded neighbors not only wanted to help, but see how it was assembled and how well it worked.  We were lucky enough to have friends who had just recently installed their own Simple Pump, so we were able to cut the learning curve in half.  I imagine that this gathering of folks resembled a similar assembly when the reverse installation occurred.  Instead of mimicking my grandparents receiving water pumped into their home by means of an electrical pump, here I was celebrating a brand new hand pump!  The irony was not lost on me!
     But it was an amazingly simple operation, and the following pictures illustrate the process:

4 " well cap with three ports. 

Drop pipes with embedded sucker rods are layed out and sorted.

Sucker Rods are tightened inside PVC before next link of pipe is attached.

Each additional link of PVC is then tightened,  until you have lowered
it far enough to reach your water level.

The stainless steel piston rod is added to the last link of PVC
and lowered into the well shaft.

The handle is assembled and attached to the piston rod.

Sweet Water!

     I must confess that we ran into a little bit of a snag at the end.  We ended up using the two extra lengths of pipe that we had reserved in case we suffered a drought and our static water level dropped, and we needed to lower the well pump.  It can be a tricky maneuver to correctly guess the depth of your well.  As we finished the entire process and attempted to pump our first splash of water ..... nothing!  The parts and assembly is so fool-proof, we knew we hadn't left out any steps.  Our only conclusion was that we still needed more pipe --- that our well was deeper than we thought.  

     So we decided to wait until the next business day and order a couple more links of pipe and sucker rods to finish our installation.  Well, my husband went out a couple of hours later and decided to try pumping again, and discovered that while the tension on the pump is much lighter than the old-fashioned heavy iron handles, you still have to apply some muscle to your stroke!  He pumped vigorously for 75 or so strokes, and felt the pressure building until about stroke 120, we had water!  The last piece of pipe has a drain hole that allows water to drain out of the pump assembly.  This prevents freezing of your pump in the winter.  It takes about 10 pumps to re-prime before the water starts flowing.

     So now to finish out our project, a new well house will be constructed; large enough to be able to stand up inside of it and have the room to extend the full length of a handle stroke.  And I have to admit that it gives me a huge satisfaction to know that, short of a dramatic God-like drought, we will always have water.  It truly is the elixir of life!

  

John 4:13-14        " Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."